Union Minister for HRD Kapil Sibal while inaugurating the EDGE (Emerging Directions in Global Education) conference said, “India is to become the centre of gravity in global Higher education. We are at the cusp of next revolution in education in India and more investment in higher education is the only way forward. Financing education is a government commitment and our national duty with no strings attached. What we need is a change of mindset among all stakeholders in the higher education sector.
We must also ensure teaching profession gets highest priority.” The annual EDGE Conference 2011 underway in Delhi, a global platform aiming to shape the future of Indian Higher Education saw participation of 700 delegates which includes Vice-Chancellors, Presidents, Directors, Professors, Education Councils, Entrepreneurs and policy makers to interact, collaborate and understand the prevailing trends in the higher education sector. ‘Shaping the Future of Indian Higher Education’ is the theme for EDGE 2011 Conference. The conference aims to cover various critical topics like International Partnerships, Future of Medical Education, Vocational Education, Education Infrastructure, Funding Education, Frontiers of New Assessments, ICT for Next Generation Learning Environments, Creativity in Higher Education, Medical Education and Education Policy Framework. Vice-Chancellor of IGNOU and Academic Programme Committee Chairman of EDGE 2011, Prof. V. N. Rajasekharan Pillai said, “EDGE is the foremost platform for the stakeholders in Higher Education sector in India and the world to converge.
Interactions at the platform will help us act together towards identified goals with a beneficial intent for the education sector.” Well-known educator, scientist and institution builder, Prof. C.N.R. Rao was honoured with the EDGE Education Personality of the Year Award. The award was conferred in recognition of his extraordinary and exemplary contribution to higher education sector. While receiving the award Prof. Rao commented, “We teachers are to give everything we have and not to expect anything back.” EDGE Forum was conceptualized in the year 2007, by a group of leading educational institutions from public and private sector under the leadership of Dr. K. Kasturirangan, former Chairman, ISRO & Director, NIAS.The forum addresses several dimensions of education like governance, human resource management, cutting-edge technologies, and holistic approach to education infrastructure and above all adoption of global best practices.
It serves as an analytical and authoritative source for policy recommendations on higher education. Dr. S.B. Mujumdar, Chancellor, Symbiosis International University and Patron of EDGE Forum said, “The idea of EDGE conference is to connect good institutions and universities in India to collaborate and co-operate to find solutions for many challenges of our country. We intent to bridge the gap between government, colleges and universities which will speed up the process of expansion and inclusion in the higher education sector in India.” The event also consists of EduExpo for Educational Institutions, Publishing Houses, IT Companies and other service providers.
